BUKIT MERTAJAM – Eight frontliners from the Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) have lost their lives to Covid-19 since the virus struck early last year.
One of them was fully vaccinated, four had received their first doses and three were not immunised at all, said Seberang Prai Mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud.
He urged MBSP’s current frontliners to be extra vigilant in dealing with the pandemic, stressing that the virus is unforgiving and easily transmissible, especially when one breaches the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“We have lost eight colleagues aged between 28 and 57. We need to be careful,” he said.
He also revealed that 33 MBSP staff members were recently infected and are receiving treatment.
“For now the vaccination drive is the top priority for the council. At present, 3,930 or 98% of our employees have been vaccinated.
“We hope all will be fully dosed by next month and we hope the ratepayers would also do the same,” he told journalists here.
MBSP workers who are infected are required to either stay at home (depending on which category they are in) or seek treatment at the relevant healthcare facilities, including low-risk quarantine centres.
Rozali also said that, to prevent crowding at its office, the council will introduce an online application system for licensing under the Sejahtera Peniaga programme, where transactions and approvals can be processed online.
“Through this system, applicants get to not only apply for business licences but also for waste recycling and temporary building occupancy permits, all through the same app,” he said.
About 1,000 ratepayers in rural areas here are expected to benefit from this initiative if they register online, he added. – The Vibes, September 18, 2021
